Elevator car stool



c. J. LEHN ELEVATOR CAR sTooL Filed sept. 28, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 CLM@AIA mvENToR BY r'nvlir f ATTORNEY Patented` Dec. 24, 1935 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE ELEVATOR CAR STOOL Charles J. Lehn, Oak Park, Ill.,assignor to Otis Elevator Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of NewJersey 'Ihe invention relates to stools for elevator cars.

It is common practice to furnish stools or other forms of seats inelevator cars in order that the operator may rest during periods ofintermittent service. It is important that these stools shall not occupyany useful space in the elevator car when not in use, as during periodsof 4intense service. It is also important that the stool shall notdetract from the appearance of the interior of the car either when inuse or when not in use. This latter feature is particularly important inmodern elevator cars, which are often elaborately and artisticallydecorated.

According to the invention, there is provided a stool of attractiveappearance when in position for use and which, when not desired for use,is lowered so that its upper surface is flush with the surface of thefloor of the car. The upper surface is preferably finished with the samefinish as that employed for the elevator car floor.

In order that the invention may be readily understood, it will bedescribed in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the interior of an elevator carprovided with a stool according to the invention, and shows the tool inposition for use;

Figure 2 is a View in elevation of the stool and its support, and showsthe stool in a position intermediate its raised and lowered positions;and

Figure 3 is a view in section of the stool, taken along the line 3 3 ofFigure 2.

Referring to Figure 1, there is provided in the elevator car I asupporting member 2 let into the floor of the elevator car and having arecess 3 in its upper surface.- The seat portion 4 has attached to ittube 5 arranged to slide in an aperture in the supporting member 2. Whenthe stool is in position for use, it is latched in its raised position,and when not desired for use, it is lowered by hand so that the seatportion 4 rests in recess 3 with its top surface flush with the floor ofthe car. The upper side of the seat portion 4 is recessed to a depthequal to that of the licor covering of the elevator car.- This recess isfilled with material of the same design as that of the elevator carfloor. This material may, for example, be linoleum or carpet.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the seat portion 4 may consist of analuminum alloy casting havingon its lower side a cylindrical extension 6and an annular recess in its upper surface, which recess is filled withflooring material l. Tube 5, preferably of steel, chrome plated andaccurately dimensioned, is slipped over the extension 6 with a pressfit, so that it is securely attached to the seat portion 4. At the lowerend of tube 5 one or more pins 8 (shown in the drawings as two) extendthrough the axis of tube 5 at right angles thereto and project at eachend beyond the exterior surface thereof. The purpose of these pins is tolatch the stool in its raised position at one or more different heightsto accommodate operators o-f different stature. A pull 9 is provided forraising the stool. Pull 9 is a T-shaped member, the shank of whichextends through an aperture I at the central point of seat portion 4. Awasher I I and cotter pin I2 retain the pull in assembled relationshipto seat portion 4. The cross bar of the pull is provided with a bevelledportion I3 to afford a finger hold. As shown, the pull 9 is in theposition it occupies when the stool is being raised. With the stool ineither its raised or lowered position, pull 9 drops down into a recessI4 in seat portion 4, its upper surface being flush with the uppersurface of seat portion 4.

Supporting member 2, preferably of an aluminum alloy, is` provided witha recess in its upper surface to receive seat portion 4 and is let intothe car oor I so that its peripheral flange I 6 is Hush with the surfaceof the floor. Supporting member 2 is secured to the floor as by screwsI'I. Hub I8 extends downwardly from the body portion of supportingmember 2 and is bored out from its upper end to within a short distanceof its lower end to receive nbre-lined steel sleeve I9, the fibreportion of which is indicated at 20. Sleeve I9 is held in place by oneor more pins 2|. The interior diameter of bre portion 20 is made suchthat when tube 5 is moved up and down there will be sufficient frictionto maintain tube 5 in any position, at the same time permitting seatportion 4 being readily moved up and down by hand. The purpose of thisarrangement is to avoid any possibility of a rapid descent of seatportion 4, and consequent possible injury to the feet of occupants ofthe car. Hub I8 is split longitudinally along one side from its lowerend to a point near the upper end so that, by means of bolts 23 passingthrough lugs 22, the lower portion of hub I8 acts as a clamp.

At the lower end of hub I8 there are two slots 24 diametrically oppositeeach other and extending from the lower end of the hub upwardly. Each ofthese slots has an entrance portion slightly wider than the diameter ofpins 8 and then widens out, notch 25 being formed at the lower end ofthe widened-out portion.

As-the stool is raised to its working position, upper pin 8 will enterslot 24, and if the car operator desires to have the seat portion at thelower of its two raised positions, he rotates seat portion 4 andtherefore tube 5 as soon as the upper pin 8 reaches the widened portionof slot 24. Upper pin 8 is then lowered into notch 25 and the stool issecurely latched in its working position. If the operator desires tohave; seat portion 4 in a higher raised position, heA lifts" seatportion 4 until lower pin 8 reaches the widened portion of slot 24 andthen rotates seat portion 4 and latches the stool with lower pin/.8seated in notch 25. It is to be noted that slot 24 must be of suicientlength to accommodate as many pins 8 as are provided, and thatthelength` of the portion 26 of the slot between the lower end of hub I8and the edge of notch-.25e must be less than the clear space betweenpins 8.

Although cylindrical extension 6 of seat portion Ilkr is shown asv beingcentrally disposed, this ex:-- tension may be placeds off center' topermit they supporting member 2, to-be placed nearer the wall'` of theelevator car than as illustratedii-niFigure 1. With such an: arrangementthey seatr portionr 4 is, rotated away from the. wallwhen la-tching7itin its raised position. In addi-tion, seat portion' 4 may be-madesquare or of any other desired con-- figuration, in which case therecess in supporting member 2 is` made to.` correspond. Furthermore, it-it isf desired to:Y shorten the over-all` length: of. tube 5-, thisvtube may bemadei-n two or'more tel-- escoping sections. Other changes indetailsof, construction may obviously be made Withoutl go- `ingbeyond4the scope of the ineen-tion.V

VWhatisclaimedisc' 1. Ant elevator car stool comprisingV a seat portion,av downwardly-f extending, cylindricalmember attached to the undersideyof said-r seat portion, a supporting member secured. tot thefloor of fthe elevator-carv and provided. with a hub depending therefrom through.the: floor of' saidcar and through, whichsaid. cylindrical memberextends,` saidsupporting member be ing further provided with a. recessvin, itsup per surface forrecei-ving said seat portion whenthestool. isnot in use,V Vand means forlatch ing'said' stool in either of tworaisedworking positions different distances from` saidi oor, sailzv lastnamedmeans comprising apai-r of support:- ing elements projecting from'said cylindrical member at different distances from the bottom-Ithereof, said hub being providedY al slot extending from its lowerendand of` a width te pro,- vide a narrow entrance for said supportingele-- men-ts, said slot being widened above-its eI-itra-nceA for adistance sufficient to receive botir support-i ing elements and saidnarrowed portion of said Vslot being of such length that saidcylindrical member can be rotated to move either the upper or both ofsaid supporting elements into the widened portion of said slot, and aretaining notch formed at the bottom of said widened porl tion in whichone or the other of said supporting elements rests to support said stoolin one or the other ofsaid two working positions.`

2 An elevatorcar'stool comprising a seat portion, a downwardly extendingcylindrical member attached to the underside of said seat portion, asupporting; member secured to the floor of the e1- evator car andprovided with a hub depending therefromthroughthe oor of said car andthrough whichsaidI cylindrical member extends, said supportingV memberbeing further provided with, af. recess. in its upper surface forreceiving said seat portion when the stool is not in use, and' means forlatching said stool in either of two raised working positionsfdiierentdistances from said floor, said last named meansy comprising a pair ofsupporting elements projecting from* saidl cylindrical member inVertical alignment at different distancesfrom` the bottom thereof 'andanother pair of. supporting. elements proj ,ectingV from saidcylindrical member at said different dis'- tances fromthe. bottomthereof anddiametrically opposite.- the firstmentioned-pair ofsupporting elements said hub being providedwi-th apair of slotsdiametricallyopposite.- eachv other and extending vertical-ly from i-tslower end. andA of a width to provide narrow entrances for said pairs.

of supporting elements, each of said slots being widened. aboveitsentrancefor a vertical distancesuiiicientrto receive both; supportingelements of apai-r: upon rotative movement of saidl cylindricali member,and a, retaining notchformed at thebottom of the-widened portion`ofjeach-islot to re.- ceive and-,supportY one or the otherof saidAsupporting elements ci?v a pair. to thereby support said stool; inv one`or the other of said two workingv positions-.1

3.4 AnL elevator car stool comprising a. seat; portiom. a downwardlyextending, cylindrical member:attachedto,-v ther underside of, saidsea-tgportiom a supporting member secured to the floorof; theelevatorcar and. provided. .with a huby through which said cylindrical member:extends, a. sleeve; secured in said hub. and frictionally'engaging saidcylindrical member, said supporting member beingfurther: provided with arecess in its upper surface for receiving said seat portion when thevstool.' not inuse, and means cooperatingl between. said cylindricalmember and said hub for latchifng said stool iin its positionl for use.

Y CHARLES J. LEHN.

